Multi-way low profile mounting bracket

ABSTRACT

A fan assembly includes a fan housing and a fan mount that is mountable on surfaces of many orientations. The fan assembly additionally has indexed positions, so that the direction of airflow emanating from the fan can be oriented in one of a number of different directions.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to a fan assembly utilizing a low profile mounting bracket.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

[0002] Many types of fans are known in the art. Many of these devices utilize a mount of some type in order to stabilize the unit during operation. However, there is a need for a mounting bracket that is adaptable to mount the unit in varying orientations. For example, instead of placing a fan on a horizontal surface such as a table or floor, it may be preferred to mount the fan to another surface, such as a wall or ceiling, or under a cabinet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] In one aspect of the invention, a fan assembly has a mounting bracket which can mount the fan in at least two of the following orientations—more preferably at least one three, and even more preferably at least four: supported, suspended, horizontal side, and vertical side.

[0004] One illustrative embodiment of the present invention comprises a base plate, at least one support member attached to the base plate, and a fan housing supported by the support member, wherein the fan housing is movable about a rotation axis between a plurality (e.g., two or more) of index positions oriented relative to the base plate. The fan assembly is mountable to a surface in supported, suspended, horizontal side, and vertical side orientations. The index positions may direct air flow from the fan substantially at 0, 30, 60, and 90 degrees relative to the plane defined by the base plate. In one aspect of the invention, the fan housing may be separable from the support member, e.g., to allow for easier mounting of the base plate.

[0005] Another illustrative embodiment of the present invention comprises a substantially rectangular mounting bracket with two ends, two support members attached to the ends of the substantially rectangular mounting bracket, and a fan mounted between the two support members. The fan is mountable to a surface in supported, suspended, horizontal side, and vertical side orientations, and the fan is positionable in a plurality of index positions oriented relative to the base plate about a rotation axis substantially parallel to the substantially rectangular mounting bracket. The plurality of index positions may include 0, 30, 60, and 90 degrees inclined from the mounting bracket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the following drawings, in which like numerals reference like elements, and wherein:

[0007]FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a fan assembly mounted in the supported position in accordance with the present invention;

[0008]FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of a fan assembly mounted in the suspended position in accordance with the present invention;

[0009]FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of a fan assembly mounted in the horizontal side position in accordance with the present invention;

[0010]FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of a fan assembly mounted in the vertical side position in accordance with the present invention;

[0011]FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of the fan assembly of FIG. 1;

[0012]FIG. 6 is an exploded side perspective view of an indexing mechanism in accordance with the present invention; and

[0013]FIG. 7 is a side perspective view of an alternative embodiment of an indexing mechanism in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] Illustrative embodiments of the present invention comprise a fan assembly having a fan and a mounting bracket that can mount the fan to surfaces of different orientations. In one aspect of the invention, a mounting bracket may be configured to mount a fan to a horizontal or a vertical surface, allowing a user to position the fan assembly in at least four different orientations. The fan may also be readily separable from the mounting bracket to facilitate mounting the mounting bracket onto a surface. The fan assembly may also utilize an indexing mechanism to enable a user to direct air in a preferred direction. To accomplish this, the fan rotates about an axis and the indexing mechanism retains the fan at an angular orientation with respect to the mounting bracket. That is, when the fan assembly is mounted to a surface, a user can adjust the direction of airflow by moving the fan from one index position to another. The fan attached to the mounting bracket is operable regardless of the fan's angular orientation with respect to the mounting bracket and the mounting bracket's orientation with respect to the horizontal.

[0015] FIGS. 1-7 show illustrative embodiments of a fan assembly that incorporate various aspects of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the fan assembly comprises a mounting bracket 13 and a fan 11. The mounting bracket 13 includes at least one support member 130 to support the fan 11. The mounting bracket 13 may furthermore comprise a base plate 131. The fan 11 comprises a fan housing 110, an air outlet 111, air movement means (such as a fan blade, not shown), and the motor and electronics required to operate the air movement means (not shown). It should be understood that the fan 11 and associated components may take any suitable form as is well known in the art.

[0016] In one aspect of the invention, the fan housing 110 is positionable in a plurality of positions to direct the airflow from the fan assembly 10 in a desired direction. In particular, a fan assembly 10 according to the present invention may produce substantially unidirectional air flow due at least in part to the shape and configuration of the fan housing 110. Therefore, the ability to move the fan housing 110 enables a user to direct the airflow substantially in a desired direction.

[0017] A fan assembly 10 in accordance with the present invention may also allow a user to mount the fan assembly on two or more different mounting surfaces 30. For example, the mounting bracket 13 may be constructed to support the fan 11 in at least four orientations: supported, suspended, horizontal side, and vertical side. The supported orientation refers to the position where the mounting bracket 13 is substantially under the fan 11, such as when the fan assembly 10 is resting on a horizontal surface 301 as pictured in FIG. 1. When the mounting bracket 13 is positioned substantially above the fan 11 as pictured in FIG. 2, the fan assembly 10 is in a suspended position. Horizontal side refers to the position where the mounting bracket 13 is substantially behind the fan 11 such that the longer aspect of the fan assembly is arranged horizontally as shown in FIG. 3. In other words, if the fan assembly 10 has a base plate 131 and is mounted in the horizontal side configuration, the base plate 131 has a length l which extends substantially parallel to a horizontal surface. However, when the fan 11 is supported from the back and oriented such that the length l of a base plate 131 is substantially normal to a horizontal surface, the fan assembly 10 is in the vertical side orientation, as shown in FIG. 4. It should be noted that “mounted” does not necessarily mean that the fan assembly 10 is rigidly attached to the surface it is mounted to. For example, the fan assembly 10 can be mounted to a table by simply resting on it. In fact, it may be desirable to provide a mounting bracket 13 that is capable of stably supporting the fan 11 in a supported position without the use of attachment means. For example, a base plate 131 may be wide enough to prevent the fan 11 from tipping when in the supported position even when the fan assembly 10 is not secured to the underlying surface. Therefore, “mounted” does not necessarily imply any attachment means rigidly attaching the fan mount 13 to a surface. However, a fan assembly 10 mounted in a manner in accordance with the present invention could also be rigidly attached, e.g., by screws or other fasteners, adhesive, etc.

[0018] In one embodiment, the mounting bracket 13 may be separable from the fan 11 to facilitate rigidly attaching the mounting bracket 13 to a mounting surface 30. For example, it may be desirable to rigidly attach the mounting bracket 13 to a mounting surface 30, such as by screws that extend through holes in the bracket. In these instances, the fan 11 may impede physical and/or visual access to the mounting bracket 13. Therefore, the fan 11 may be detachable from the mounting bracket 13 to enable a user to secure the mounting bracket 13 to a mounting surface 30. As will be apparent to one of skill in the art, many mechanisms may releasably secure the fan 11 to the mounting bracket 13 such that the fan 11 is separable from the mounting bracket 13. For example, the fan 11 may be held to the mounting bracket 13 by two support members 130, at least one of which is biased toward the other so the fan 11 is resiliently squeezed between the support members 130. Alternatively, a spring biased pin or other member on the fan 11, a snap-fit engagement, a quarter turn screw, a knob and threaded portion, or other suitable arrangement could mount the fan 11 to the mounting bracket 13. Many other alternatives will be apparent to those of skill in the art, which will function to separably retain the fan 11 to the mounting bracket 13. The fan 11 may be separable from the mounting bracket 13 without the use of tools, as described above. However, in some applications it may be advantageous to require a tool or key to remove the fan 11 from the mounting bracket 13.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the fan 11 may rotate about a rotation axis A-A to produce the desired air flow direction F. The fan 11 may oscillate automatically about rotation axis A-A. Alternatively or additionally, the fan 11 may retain a desired angular orientation about rotation axis A-A with respect to the mounting bracket 13 via a tight friction fit, an indexing mechanism, or other arrangement as should be apparent to one of skill in the art. In one embodiment, the mounting bracket 13 comprises two support members 130 attached to the ends of a base plate 131. The support members 130 may support the fan 11 at opposite ends of the fan housing 110 as shown in FIG. 1. Therefore, the rotation axis A-A may be defined by the two points at which the fan 11 is supported by the support members 130. Alternatively, the fan 11 could be supported by a single support member 13. In this alternative embodiment, the fan 11 may still have a rotational axis A-A perpendicular to the single support member 13. Additionally, although the rotation axis A-A is shown in FIG. 1 as being substantially parallel to a base plate 131, other orientations for the rotation axis A-A are contemplated within the scope of the present invention.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 5, the fan assembly 10 may include an indexing mechanism 60 such that the fan housing 110 has indexed positions with respect to the mounting bracket 13. In one embodiment, the indexing mechanism 60 is configured to position the fan housing 10 such that the air flow direction F out of the air outlet 111 is substantially parallel to a surface on which the fan assembly 10 is mounted, such as that shown in FIG. 1. Additionally or alternatively, the indexing mechanism 60 may position the fan housing 110 such that the air flow direction F from the air outlet 111 is substantially perpendicular to the mounting surface 30, such as that shown in FIG. 3. The indexing mechanism 60 may additionally enable a user to orient the flow direction F at an angle inclined approximately 30 and/or 60 degrees from the mounting surface 30 as shown in FIG. 5. As will be apparent to one of skill in the art, other indexing positions, including without limitation 45 degrees and/or −30 degrees inclined from the mounting surface 30 could also be provided while within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, in one embodiment, the range of angular index positions spans more than 90 degrees.

[0021] Movement of the fan housing 110 about the axis of rotation A-A may be done automatically as well as manually. In one embodiment, the fan assembly 10 includes a drive mechanism that is configured to work with the fan mount 13 and the fan housing 110. More particularly, the drive mechanism may be configured to move the fan between indexing positions. In another embodiment of the present invention, a drive mechanism can cause the fan housing 11 to automatically oscillate about rotation axis A-A.

[0022] The specific arrangement of the indexing mechanism 60 may vary, as will be apparent to one of skill in the art. For example, FIG. 6 depicts one possible embodiment of the indexing mechanism. In FIG. 6, indexing mechanism 60 comprises discrete recesses 601, at least one protrusion 602 sized to fit in at least one of the recesses 601, and a spring 603. The spring 603 pushes the protrusion 602 toward the recesses 601, so that when the protrusion 602 is in a recess 601, the recess 601 will hold the protrusion 602 in place. The recess(es) 601 and protrusion(s) 602 may vary in size, shape, number, and location as will be appreciated by one of skill in the art. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, the indexing mechanism 60 may comprise a spring-loaded protrusion 700 and a series of holes 701. When the spring-loaded protrusion 700 is depressed, the fan housing 110 may be rotated about A-A with respect to the mounting bracket 13. However, at an indexed position, the spring-loaded protrusion 700 mates with a hole 701 such that the spring-loaded protrusion 700 protrudes through the hole 701, thus arresting further rotation of the fan housing 110 around axis A-A with respect to the fan base 13. Although two embodiments for an indexing mechanism 60 are shown and described, any number of other indexing mechanisms can be utilized as will be apparent to one of skill in the art. For example, the indexing mechanism 60 may include a biased member, an indentation, a hole, a spring-loaded member, a detent mechanism or any combination of these features. By utilizing the proper index, the fan 11 can be positioned to provide the desired flow direction F. Although the examples above may not require a tool to change the index position of the fan housing 110, in other embodiments a tool may be required to adjust the position of the fan housing 110 to redirect airflow from the fan assembly 10.

[0023] The fan assembly 10 may be configured with a low profile for use in areas with little available space. For example, if the fan assembly 10 is mounted under a cabinet, it may be advantageous to decrease the vertical area that the fan hangs down into. Additionally, when the fan assembly 10 is mounted to a wall, it may be advantageous to decrease the distance that the fan assembly 10 projects into the room to decrease the chance of accidentally bumping into the fan assembly 10. To achieve a low profile, the mounting bracket 13 has a length l and a height h, where the length l is substantially greater than the height h. The length l is preferably at least twice as long as the height h, and more preferably at least three times as long as the height h.

[0024] A fan 11 with a low profile can be mounted to the mounting bracket 13, thus further reducing the space used by the fan assembly 10, as well as the possibility of accidental contact with the fan assembly 10. Specifically, the fan housing 110 can be shaped like an extruded teardrop, as shown in the accompanying figures. In other words, the cross section of the fan housing 110 can be shaped like a tear drop. The rounded bottom 115 of this housing shape permits the housing 110 to mount close to a mounting surface 30 yet rotate about axis A-A without contacting the mounting surface 30. Additionally, the housing shape may direct air flow substantially in one direction, yet provide a relatively large exit area for air flow. For example, the air outlet 111 can be substantially rectangular as shown in the accompanying figures.

[0025] In operation, a user can detach the fan 11 from the mounting bracket 13 if necessary and mount it to a desired mounting surface 30. When the mounting bracket 13 is in the desired location, the user can replace the fan 11 in the mounting bracket 13. A user can then rotate the fan 11 about axis A-A to orient the airflow direction F as desired.

[0026] Having described certain embodiments of the present invention, various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. It should be understood that the index mechanism and mounting bracket for the fan may be provided in a variety of ways and using different configurations than those shown in the illustrative embodiments above. Therefore, such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description is by way of example only, and not intended to be limiting. 

1. A fan assembly, comprising: a mounting bracket; and a fan supported by said mounting bracket, said fan being movable about a rotation axis between a plurality of index positions; wherein said mounting bracket is mountable to a surface in at least two of supported, suspended, horizontal side, and vertical side orientations.
 2. The fan assembly according to claim 1, wherein said mounting bracket includes a base and said rotation axis is substantially parallel to said base.
 3. The fan assembly according to claim 1, wherein said fan is separable from said mounting bracket.
 4. The fan assembly according to claim 1, further comprising at least one indexing mechanism that maintains said fan at each of said plurality of index positions.
 5. The fan assembly according to claim 4, wherein said at least one indexing mechanism includes at least one of a biased member, an indentation, a hole, a detent mechanism and a spring-loaded member.
 6. The fan assembly according to claim 4, wherein said at least one indexing mechanism includes a plurality of indexing mechanisms.
 7. The fan assembly according to claim 1, wherein: said fan is arranged to emit an air flow; said plurality of index positions comprises first and second index positions; said mounting bracket includes a base; said fan positioned in said first index position directs said air flow substantially parallel to said base; and said fan positioned in said second index position directs said air flow substantially perpendicular to said base.
 8. The fan assembly of claim 7, further comprising third and fourth index positions, wherein said fan in said third index position directs said air flow at an angle inclined approximately 30 degrees from said base, and said fan in said fourth index position directs said airflow at an angle inclined approximately 60 degrees from said base.
 9. The fan assembly according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of index positions comprises index positions which direct air flow from said fan substantially at 0 degrees, 30 degrees, 60 degrees, and 90 degrees relative to a plane defined by at least part of said mounting bracket.
 10. The fan assembly according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of index positions comprises first and second index positions, and further comprising a drive mechanism coupled to said fan such that said drive mechanism selectively moves said fan from said first index position to said second index position.
 11. The fan assembly according to claim 1, wherein said mounting bracket has a length and a height, and the length of said mounting bracket is at least three times the height of mounting bracket.
 12. The fan assembly according to claim 1, wherein said fan is arranged and configured to selectably automatically oscillate about said rotation axis.
 13. The fan assembly according to claim 1, wherein said fan comprises a rectangular air outlet.
 14. The fan assembly according to claim 1, wherein said fan comprises a housing shaped as an extruded tear drop.
 15. The fan assembly according to claim 1, wherein the fan assembly can be stably mounted in the supported position without attachment means.
 16. A fan assembly, comprising: a substantially rectangular mounting bracket having two ends; two support members attached to said ends of said substantially rectangular mounting bracket; and a fan mounted between said two support members, said fan being positionable in a plurality of index positions oriented relative to said mounting bracket about a rotation axis substantially parallel to said substantially rectangular mounting bracket, said plurality of index positions including 0 degree, 30 degree, 60 degree, and 90 degree inclinations from said mounting bracket; wherein said fan assembly is mountable to a surface via said mounting bracket in at least two of supported, suspended, horizontal side, and vertical side orientations. 